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NEXT EVENT:
July 10
GRAFFITTI RACES and Show and Shine Parade
Big 5 Latemodel 75, Mini Stocks, Super, Street,
OTRO, Hornets and Junkyard Dogs
Adults~ $12
Seniors~ $10
Children 7-11~ $6
Kids 6 & under FREE!
Gates open @ 4:00
Qualifying @ 5:00
Racing starts @ 6:30
July 11 GRAFFITTI 300 FT.
DRAGS
Gates open@ 6:30
Track goes hot@ 7:00
General Admission $5
Car & Driver $15
News Break~ Motorized pit bikes are no longer allowed in the
pit area.
TEST & TUNE announced
Wednesday July 8 from 4pm to 8pm. Car and Driver only $15
June 29
Roberts III survives Eve of Destruction III
By BZ ZELLER
Cleatus Roberts III won the Jobe’s Hot Rod Shop Eve of Destruction III Trailer Race Saturday night at the Douglas County Speedway.
Roberts, his passenger Keith Roberts, pickup and trailer survived the full-contact, endurance race that
challenged drivers to dislodge and destroy their competitors trailers. Brad McMaster, Bob Vancil, Tim Thorp and Clint Hatfield made the final
laps, but Roberts was deemed victorious by a majority spectator ovation.
The annual Jobe Destruction night was also highlighted by brothers John and Nick Cornilsen who executed
separate daredevil stunts on the speedway front stretch. John ‘the destroyer’ crashed his J-Car through a steel
wall of cars that were propped up with their front bumpers facing the sky. Nick ‘DaneJer’ drove his car through
the Jump of Doom, a stunt that sent the Oregon State student flying off metal ramps, through a four-high stack of cars and
into a group of parked cars.
In racing action, Oakland High’s Daniel Jobe defeated the largest field of the evening. Jobe started
21st of 23 Hornet entries and passed his way to the checkered flag. Cody Rassmussen, Monte Cox Jr., Andy Nelson
and Danny Saunders finished second through fifth respectively.
David Beals won the Fast Hornet Heat.20Michael Beals won the B and Robert Jarvis won the C Heat. Jobe won both the Trophy
Dash and the time trial with a best lap of 20.042 seconds. Cox leads all Hornet drivers in the season points race. David Beals
is second (166 points behind) and Saunders (187) is third.
Bailey Lane, a 12-year-old, Jo Lane Middle School student, won the Junior Stinger Main. Ricky Perry was
second. Lane also won the Heat with Sean Yarbrough placing second. Perry leads the Juniors in season points.
In the Lady Stinger Main, Molly Jobe and daughter Jessy Jobe finished first and second respectively. Jessy
Jobe won the Heat with Jesse Herbert placing second. Jessy Jobe maintained her points lead.
Rob Mueller added another Mini Stock Main win to his season-long streak. Dena James recorded her highest
ever Main finish crossing the finish line in second with Dale Roth third and James’ father Dale Yarbrough fourth. Jason
Gotz was fifth in the 17-car, 25-Lap race.
Mueller, Israel Curdy and Karl Smith each won their respective Heats. Dale
Yarbrough won the Dash and Mueller was the fast timer. Mueller has a 288-point advantage over Jason Gotz in the season standings.
Yarbrough is just 22 points behind Gotz for third.
Benjer Herbert won the Super Stock Main with Jim Smith and Don Moore officially second and third. Andy Schmelzer
won the Dash and was the fast timer. Moore won the Heat. Moore has=2 0narrow a one-point advantage over Herbert in the points
race. Don Livermore is third.
Rick Jump and Jeff Solberg were the first finishers in the Street Stock Main. Nick Cornilsen won the Dash
and the Heat. Jump was the fast qualifier. Jump leads Solberg by 40 points in the standings. Last season champ, Amos Rhodes
is third.
Racing resumes July 10 featuring the Big 5 Late Model 75, Mini Stocks, Super
Stocks, Street Stocks, Old Timers, Hornets and Junk Yard Dogs. The only Friday race of the season will also have a Graffitti
show and shine. Gates open at 4
p.m.
*You can reach writer/announcer BZ Zeller at Stock23@aol.com
June 15
Trifecta finish for track locals
By BZ ZELLER
It was Win, Place and Show for the top local contingents in the Casey Diemert Classic Saturday night at the Douglas County Speedway.
Fan favorite Rick Brown, a former mentor to Diemert, captured the American Speed Association/Northwest
Sprintcar Racing Association Main Event. NSRA points leader and 2008 champion, Matt Hein finished second and 2007 champ Andy
Alberding was third.
The annual Classic is named in tribute to the late Casey Diemert, a Roseburg High graduate and former DCS champ
who was killed in a 1999 practice session at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway.
Brown, who was fifth fastest of the 16 entries during the time trials, started on the outside
in the second row of the starting grid. The 5-time NSRA champ shadowed Craig Deaver, Sumner, Wash., for the first 24 laps
before he was able to dart inside and snare the lead on the backstretch. Hein raced tight behind Brown and made the pass underneath
Deaver a moment later.
Hein, the fast time winner with a lap of 12.614 seconds, spent the final
16 circuits looking for an opening to switch places with Brown. But the savvy veteran found the checkered flag before the 2006 Roseburg High grad could pass
him.
“I’m just glad I had enough to hold off the boys (Hein and Alberding),” Brown said. “It was a great,
safe race.”
As Brown hoisted the trophy in the air, with a crackled voice he announced, “this one’s for Casey.”
Hein began the 40-Lap feature outside of Alberding on the fourth row. His finish behind Brown maintained his season points
lead and his quest to repeat as NSRA champ.
“I was hoping there was going to be an opening as we went through slower traffic to pass him (Brown), but it just
didn’t happen,” Hein said. “I’m happy with second place tonight.”
Deaver, who started in the front row, held on for fourth and Cory Lockwood finished fifth. Todd Coleman, Lynwood,Wash.,
won the first Heat and Hein easily won the second Heat. Greg Ochs, Coleville, Wash., won the B Dash and Jeff Montgomery, Victoria, B.C., Canada, won the A Heat. Brown won the special Casey’s Dash.
Oakland’s Bob Vancil won the 22-car Hornet Main. Vancil denied David Beals’ attempt to repeat as back-to-back
Main winner. Beals was second, followed by Monte Cox Jr., Daniel Butterfield and Rebecca Lane in third through fifth respectively.
Butterfield, Robert Jarvis and Cody Rasmussen all won Heats. Beals clocked the best time, 20.360.
Willie Thompson, Salem, led every lap of the ASA/Modified Main. Kris Nace, Glendale, and Dean, Roseburg were second and
third. Nace, who swept the Dash, Heat and Main last time out, won the Dash and Heat Saturday before narrowly running his win
streak to six. Tom Elam, Powers, won the fast time, 15.546.
Rob Mueller and Mike Batman each continued to pace their respective race classes.
Mueller led the 14-car Mini Stock field to another Main victory. The race was halted briefly when Roseburg’s Dale
Roth, who was running second, had his throttle stuck. Roth’s car crashed off the wall near the pit entrance and suffered
front end damage. Roth, however, was able to walk away from the scene.
Batman topped the Old Time Racers of Oregon field in his Main. Tim Jennings, Winston, finished second in the Main and won the Dash. Batman added the Heat and fast
time, 17.548, to his Main win.
Dale Yarbrough, Sutherlin, won the Mini Fast Heat and Israel Curdy, Grants Pass, won the first Heat. Jason Gotz, Damascus,
won the Dash. Behind fast qualifier Mueller, 18.117, in the Main was Steven McMahon, Robert
McMahon, Gotz, and Dena James respectively.
John Cornilsen won the J-Car Main and Brad McMaster won the classes’ Dash and Heat. Tim Thorp finished second in
the Main.
Racing resumes June
27 at the Douglas County Speedway featuring the Jobe’s Hot Rod Shop
Eve of Destruction 3 plus fireworks. On the race card is the annual trailer race, the steel wall crash, gauntlet, ASA Modifieds,
Mini Stocks, Super Stocks, Street Stocks, Hornets.
(You can reach Douglas County Speedway writer/announcer BZ Zeller at Stock23@aol.com)
June
12, 2009
By BZ ZELLER
Matt Hein has made a quick progression from local rookie to tour champion. The local racer
returns to his home track Saturday with intentions of capturing his first Taco Bell Casey Diemert Classic at the Douglas
County Speedway.
Hein, a 2006 Roseburg High grad, has followed both his late grandfather Don Hein and
his dad, Ron Hein, as champion sprint car drivers. After developing his racing skills in dirt kart racing, the younger Hein
made the transition to the paved oval. He followed up a rookie-of-the-year campaign with a stellar 2008 season that earned
him the ASA/NSRA championship.
Roseburg is the second stop on the NSRA tour and Hein is fresh off a points
win at the season opener in Merridian, Idaho. Last season, Hein and his white No. 98 were towed off the Douglas County Speedway
on Lap 30 of the 40-Lap feature following mechanical failure. Hein began that night by winning the qualifying session with
a fast lap of 12.601 seconds.
“We had a great season last year, but still had some mechanical issues,”
Hein said. “This year, I’m more confident in our setup and the car overall.”
The annual
Classic is named in tribute to the late Casey Diemert, a Roseburg High graduate and former DCS champ who was killed in a 1999
practice session at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway.
Ironically, last year’s Classic winner, Andy Alberding,
has teamed up with Casey’s father, Jim Diemert for 2009. Diemert is the new crew chief for the red No. 76.
“We (Diemert, Alberding and car owner Norm Chamberlain) just decided to pull our resources together with the No. 76,”
Diemert said. “It’s my first time working with an unlimited engine, but we’ll get the bugs worked out and
be competitive.”
Alberding has a history of not only being competitive, but as a dominant figure at
DCS. The 2007 NSRA champ and multi-season winner in the local limited sprint class, Winston’s Alberding also holds the
track record of 12.494 seconds.
Diemert said the No. 76 Team struggled at the Merridian opener.
“We had handling problems, oil leaks, broke a rear brake caliper and broke a driveline,” Diemert said. “We
just had a lot of things go wrong. Hopefully we won’t have any more of these issues.”
Issues aside,
the goal is clear for the No. 76 Team Saturday.
“My son’s name is the honor of the event,”
Diemert said. “I appreciate the memorials that continue to be held in my son’s name. That’s a race we’d
like to win. There’s no question about that.”
Casey Diemert made the transition from Street Stocks
to Sprintcars as a budding racing prodigy before joining the professional circuit. Jim Diemert said Ron and Don Hein played
an integral role in Ca sey’s track success.
“Ronnie and Don and Rick Brown all have a history of sprint car success in this
area,” Diemert said. “All three were instrumental in his (Casey) transition. Ronnie and Rick were his mentors
when it came to racing. He looked up to both immensely.”
Also on Saturday’s
race card are the ASA Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Old Time Racers of Oregon, Hornets, J-Cars and Thunder Trucks. Gates open at
4 p.m., qualifying
at 5 p.m. and racing
will start at 6:30 p.m.
(You
can reach Douglas County Speedway writer/announcer BZ Zeller at Stock23@aol.com)
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